Combined hand-truck and weighing-scale



(No Model.)

I r W. 0. JAMES. COMBINED HAND TRUGK'AN'D WBIGHING SCALE.

' 10,371,071. Patefited 001;. 4.1887.

- W0 06am 4 UNITED t STATES PATENT OFFICE? I WILLARD 0. JAMES, or BosroN, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINED. HAND -TRUCK AND WEIGHING-SCALE.

SPECIPIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,071, dated October 4, 188.7.

Application filed November 27, 1885. Serial No. 184,129. (No model.)

T all whom it fYTI/Q Z/ concern.- Be it known that I, WILLARD 0. JAMES, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Bos-j ton, in the county of Suffolk and Gommony 5 wealth'of Massachusetts, have invented a cer-; tain new and usefullmprovement in Combined Hand-Truck and Scale, of which the following, is aspecification.

My invention relates to a combind hand- IO truck-and scale; and it consists in the combi nations and devices hereinafter described and claimed. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an isometric view of my invention; Fig. 2', areverse isometric view of the same; Fig. 3, a reverse isometric view of the weighing-levers and a part of the scale-beam; Fig. 4, a central longitudinal section of the truck and platform, showing the levers, scale-beam, and weights in 2a elevation; Fig. 5, a, similar view to Fig. 4 of the opposite side of the plane of section, showing the lever which throws the weighing devices into and out of position for use; Fig. 6, aside and sectional viewof the loop used for holding the scale-beam immovable when the scale is not in use for weighing," showing, also, apartof the handleof the'truck which supports said loop and the means of holding said loop in either of two positions; Fig. 7, a side elevation of part of one of the truck-handles and part of the scale-beam and the loop turned to hold the scale-beam from moving; Fig. 8', a

top view of one of the truck-handles, showing the' position of the shippinglever lock (in full lines) when said lock is holding said lever in either of its two positions, the dotted lines showing the position of said look when opened to allow said lever to be raised or lowered. v The'combined truck and scale,.hereinafter 40 described, consists of a rectangular frame, -A, of about the same length and width as the body of an ordinary hand-truck such as is used by ,baggagemen andporters. To the frame A are secured two handles, a a, and two small wheels,

a a for the usual purposes.- The platform B is not rigidly secured to the frame A, but is supplied with two or more down-hanging strips,bb, which are slotted vertically at b b :-Through the slots b b? pins a a are driven into the sides of the frame A,said slots allowingthe platform B to be lifted upward from the frame. Below the platform B are supported weighinglevers O O C, the outer ends of these levers resting upon knife-edges c,projecting from the sides of the frame A inwardly. The lever ,C' 'is forked from the middle of the platform toward the toe-piece I of the truck, and the levers C O are pivoted to the lever 0 below the middle of the platform in the usual manner. The lever 0 extends about the whole length of the inside of the frame A. The platformBis provided with four knife-edges, c, onfits nu der surface, two of whichrest upon the fork of the lever O, the other two resting upon the levers G. C", respectively. 7 1 l. Thescale-beam D projects from a rod, E, whichruns from handle to handle of the'truck, and is supportedat one end by entering a plate, a, secured to the handle a, and at the other end in a holeiformed in the end of the "o shippingrlever F, said lever being pivoted at f to the inside of the handle a. The rod E is provided at its ends with knife-edges e, which form its bearings. From the rod E projects a short arm, 0, which reaches through the frame A parallel with and above the straight arm of I the lever C, to which. arm it is loosely con.- nected by a link, 0, as shown in Figs. 3,4, and 5. 1 When the shipping-lever Fis held up parallel with the handle a, the end of the rod E which has its bearing in said lever F is held so low as to allow its arme and the end of the lever O .to fall sufficiently to enable the platform to rest upon the frame A. When the long arm of. the shippinglever F is allowed to drop until its free end touchesthe floor, as represented in Fig. 5, the end of the rod E which has its bearing in said lever F is raised, raising the adjacent end of the lever G and lifting the platform out of contact with the frame, the platform being then supported entirely by. the weighing-levers O G O. .The shipping-lever is held in either of the two positions above indicated by ,the lock G, said lock being a bell crank lever which turns in thehandle a, one arm of said lever (when the shipping'lever is locked in either; position) being parallel with the handle a and the other .arm of saidlever projecting from beneath the handle a, at right angles to the same, above oo or btlow said shipping-lever, as the case may be. I The scale-beam is provided with the usual weights, d d, the former of which may thereof, also in the usual manner, when the scale is being used for weighing. The weight d, when not in use, may be hung on the rod (P, the ends of which are bent at right angles and secured to the frame A in any well-known manner.

Topreventthescalebeam from being thrown about and injured and worn when the weighing apparatus is not in use, a loop, H, surrounding said scale-beain and provided with a shank, h, is used, the shank passing hori- 'zontally through a hole in the handle a and being bent on the outer side of said handle a at right angles to itself, at h, in the same plane with the loop proper. A spiral spring. h, surrounds the shank h, and is compressed between the loop H and the handle a. The loop H is large enough, when turned vertically, to allow the scale-beam to move freely therein for a sufficient distance for weighing, and, when so turned, is held by the outer bent part, h", of the shank lying in a vertical notch, h on the outer side of said handle a. When it is desired to hold the scale-beam.rigidly, the shank of the loop is pressed outward through the handle a, far enough to allow the bent outer end of said shank to clear the notch h, and the loop is then turned until it comes in contact with both the upper and under surfaces on edges of the scale-beam, in which position the loop is held by the bent outer part of its shank entering another notch, h formed in the outer side of said handle a. The bent part h is held in the notches by the spring h pressing the 'loop H away from the handle a and drawing said bent part into said notch. g

The toe-piece I is preferably attached to the platform B, instead of to the fraine A, in order that a package resting against or partly upon the toe-piece may have its full weight indicated upon the scale.

As a truck the device above described is used like any other hand-truck. Combining the truck and scale obviates the necessity frequently experienced of removing a package from a truck to a platformscale to be weighed and again placing it upon the truck to remove 1 frame between said handles, said arm, a rod supporting said arm and pivoted at its ends between said handles, a scale-beam connected to said rod at an angle thereto, and a platform having bearings upon said weighing-levers, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a suitable frame, handles secured to said frame, weighing-levers pivoted within said frame, a rod turning in bearings between said handles and having an arm loosely attached to the end of one of said levers, a scale beam secured to said rod at about aright angle-thereto, one of the bearings of said rod being in one of said handles andtheother bearing of said rod being in a shipping-lever near the end of said lever, said shipping-lever pivoted to the other of said handles between said last-named bearing and the other end of said lever, and a platform having bearings on said weighing-levers to allow said platform to be lowered 4 into contact with said frame or raised out of contact therewith into position for weighing, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of a suitable frame, handles secured to said frame, weighing-levers pivoted within said frame, a rod turning in bearings between said handles and having an arm loosely attached to the end of one of said levers, a scale-beam secured to said rod at about a right angle thereto, one of the bearings of said rod being in one of said handles and the other bearing of said rod being in a shipping-lever near the end of the same, said shipping-lever pivoted to the other of said handles between said last-named bearing and the other end of said shipping-lever, and a platform having bearings on said weighing-levers, and a shipping-lever lock to hold said platform in or out of position for weighing, as and for the purpose specified. v 1

4. The combination of asuitable frame, handles secured to said frame, weighing-levers pivoted within said frame, a rod turning in bearings between said handles and having an arm loosely attached to the end of one of said -levers,a scale-beam secured to said rod at about a. right angle thereto, said scale-beam being parallel with said handle, and aloop surrounding said scale-beam and havingashank which passes through a hole in said handle and is bent on the outer side of said handle, said handle being provided on its outer side with two notches to receive the bent end of said shank and to hold said loop at right angles to said scale-beam, in order that said scale-beam may move freely therein, and also at will to hold said loop in contact with the upper and under surface of said beam to prevent motion thereof, as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of a suitable frame, handles secured to said frame, weighing-levers pivoted within said frame, a rod turning in bearings between said handles and having an arm loosely attached to the end of one of said levers, a scale-beam secured to said rod at about a right angle thereto, said scale-beam being parallel with said handles, a loop surrounding said scale-beam and having a shank which passes through a. hole in said handle and is bent on the outer side of said handle, said handle being provided on its outer side with two notches to receive the bent end of said shank and to hold said loop at right anglesto said scale-beam, or at will to hold said loop in bent at right angles to itself, of the frame provided with a handle having a hole surrounding said shank between its bent portion and said loop, aad a spiral spring surrounding said shank between said loop and said handle, said handle being provided with notches to receive said bent portion and to hold said loop at right angles to said scale-beam to permit motion thereof, or at will to hold said loop in contact with the upper and under surfaces of said beam to prevent motion of the same, as and for the purpose specified.

WILLARD 0. JAMES. Witnesses:

ALBERT M. MOORE, GERTRUDE M. DAY. 

